Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Can Paneerselvam shift from lieutenant to leader without Jayalalithaa?

In the wee hours of Tuesday, hours after the demise of J.
Jayalalithaa, O. Panneerselvam took oath as the chief minster of Tamil
Nadu for the third time.

But this is the first time that he will not merely stand in temporarily for Jayalalithaa.

The
man who once cried inconsolably while taking oath as temporary CM did a
better job of keeping himself together this time around. But he carried
along a photo of his beloved leader, popularly called “Amma” by the
masses.

Without a doubt,
Panneerselvam has big shoes to fill. But the trusted lieutenant’s humble
beginnings, akin to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, could work in his
favour as he tries to keep the AIADMK together and unite the masses.

Panneerselvam, 65, is a former tea shop owner and agriculturist from
Theni district in southern Tamil Nadu. He began his political career in
1996 when he became the chairman of Periyakulam municipality, a post he
held until 2001, when he was elevated as a cabinet minister.

“That
was the time he (OPS) was trying to take bigger steps outside Theni,”
said a former AIADMK party member from Periyakulam, on the condition of
anonymity. The eldest of eight children, Panneerselvam’s family belongs
to the Maravar sub-caste of the Thevar community, dominant in the
southern districts of the state. Sasikala Natarajan also belongs to the
Thevar community.

Still, his promotion to stand-in chief
minister in 2001 (when then-CM Jayalalithaa was disqualified by the
country’s apex court on account of the Tansi land deal case) was
unexpected.

“It has been a tremendous growth trajectory for him.
Who would have anticipated this? He is extremely loyal but can that make
him a good leader is the question,” said the former AIADMK member
quoted earlier.

Some say Panneerselvam’s unassuming character and
unwavering loyalty are both his strength and weakness. “His unassuming
personality has gained him a puppet’s image,” a senior leader of the
opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam said, on the condition of
anonymity.

Irrespective of the perception, Panneerselvam has been
the one chosen to stand in for Jayalalithaa on many occasions —as chief
minister in 2001 and 2014, and leader of the opposition in 2006. Most
recently, he took charge of running the state and the portfolios that
belonged to Jayalalithaa, 68, while she was hospitalized for over 70
days since 22 September.

Panneerselvam’s loyalty to Jayalalithaa
is best captured by the fact that he refused to occupy the chief
minister’s chair during cabinet meetings, and placed her photograph
prominently on the table during all meetings.

There’s another
picture of hers on his car dashboard, and a third in his shirt pocket, a
practice that some other AIADMK ministers follow too.

Still, allegations that he was trying to amass power grew stronger within the AIADMK when he stood in for Jayalalithaa in 2014.

In
the run-up to this year’s assembly elections in May, it was widely
speculated that he was no longer in Jayalalithaa’s good books.
“Panneerselvam’s haters are within his party and not in the opposition,”
said the DMK leader quoted earlier.

But he has survived, and thrived.

“In
a highly centralized party like the AIADMK, Panneerselvam is a great
survivor,” said N. Sathiyamoorthy, a Chennai-based political analyst.

“No one could fill his No. 2 place in the party and after elections, he bounced back,” Sathiyamoorthy said.